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Maine, Vermont & Massachusetts

I would love to get some help with our summer trip. We are a family of 4 (2 daughters ages 10 & 13) We will be driving up to Maine at the end of June for 4-5 days. The only must see that I know of is Acadia National Park. Then we will be spending a week at Trapp Family Guest Houses for the week of July 4th (this can't be changed). What are some good ideas within 1-2 hours of Stowe, VT? Then we will be heading to the Boston area where we can have up to a week to explore Massachusetts. We can break this up over several places, but want ot include Boston. Then it will be back to South Carolina.

ANY must sees, restaurants, etc. in these 3 states. We generally enjoy short hikes (up to 3 miles), National Parks, maybe try canoeing?, history, etc. I know this is quite a broad question, but have not seen much in the way of postings for New England in the summer for families. Thanks in advance for all your help!

ME: Acadia of course and maybe some of the coastal towns like Camden, Boothbay Harbor (boat to clambake with lobster to Cabbage Island), a whale watch

MA: the Freedom Trail in Boston and a Duck Tour (make reservations), Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth with its costumed interpreters and the Mayflower, maybe Concord and Lexington, Bearskin Neck in Rockport

For the unlikely, but possible rainy day in VT, do a tour of Ben and Jerry's Ice cream factory and in Boston hit the Museum of Science or a trip up to Salem. You don't really need a car in Boston proper, so plan to drop it off before you tour there.

Thank you so much - great ideas so far! My oldest daughter just realized tonight we would be near Ben & Jerry's in Vermont and thinks that should be an afternoon treat----ALL SEVEN DAYS! Oh to be young again!

Don't miss Portsmouth NH. I haven't been on the Isles of Shoals cruise but loved both the harbor cruise and inland rivers.

Don't miss Camden ME. If you can only make one stop on the way to Acadia, it should be Camden with a hike or drive up Mt Battie. Bring binoculars. The view overlooking the hard is wonderful.

Instead of canoing, how about kayaking. I have only kayaked locally with friends but it's very popular and you'll find plenty of rental places. You have the option of river, lake or ocean. I loved going on a river that had some beaches where you could stop to enjoy a picnic lunch.

NH has an ice cream trail. Get the map and try some locally made ice cream. You'll have to pass thru NH to get to VT, it just depends on where. In Maine, MDI ice cream has two locations, Portland in the Old Port Area and Bar Harbor. They have some very unusual flavors so I suggest a sampler dish. I didn't care for ice cream with spicy/hot additions but your daughters might love it.

From Boothbay, instead of the lobster cruise, how about the trip to Monhegan Island. Take a picnic lunch. The hike along the rocky cliffs is wonderful. Gives you an idea of how isolated the island is.

If you can afford the calories, try whoopie pies in Maine. On you way to Acadia, if you are traveling Rt 1, you'll go by the Chicken Barn Antiques and Used books. It's south of Ellsworth. It's a good stop to find reading material.

I think the hike to Arethusa Falls could be on your way between Maine and VT. On the other side of Lake Champlain, you can visit Ausable Chasm. Kind of pricey but you can decide.

You can also get maps from the state agricultural websites for cheese trail and also a list of farmers markets. Look at the vendor listings. Some of the markets include food vendors selling ethnic food. We did this for a Saturday lunch in Brattleboro but that's in southern VT.

Both Boston food tours (North End and Chinatown) include a lot of local history and very special looks at these neighborhoods.

Re: Monhegan Is. Lots of people love it but, OMI, the boat trip is only for folks with big bladders who don't get sea sick! This is from my experience a couple of yrs ago. The Capt makes many announcements about the lack of toilet capacity on the boat and encourages passengers to "wait" until they get to the island. Once there, there are NO public restrooms and the locals are furious at the Capt for his announcements. One has to buy lunch or similar to use the private restroom facilities then while there and that's a 1x shot.

It's open ocean and we encountered a bad storm on the way back. Waves breaking over the pilot house. I get so sea sick, I couldn't go inside without consequences to everyone so my DH and I stayed out on deck getting soaked with crashing waves and hoping not to get hit by lightening. Just my experience but never again. Also think Monhegan would be very boring for kids. Will probably get slammed for this but that's my opinion.

I think everyone's opinions count. We had a great trip but we had sunny weather and a calm sea. Took a picnic lunch and found restrooms someplace. Can't remember whether it was a portapotty near the beginning of the trails or where. OP would have to decide if kids would be bored. Ours loved outdoor adventures. But it's a good thing to point out to OP why you wouldn't recommend the trip.

If the weather is unusually warm, you might want to spend a night or two in the 'beachy' part of Maine - which extends from York to Kennebunkport. Lots of wide sandy beachs. York has an 'old timey' beach town feel to it, and a nice sheltered beach. However the water will almost certainly be too cold to go in. You didn't mention New Hampshire in your post - there are lots of kid friendly things to do in NH - the Mt. Washington auto road, Storyland, Lost River, etc. NH has the best hiking opportunities and most spectacular mountains of the New England states. When in Vermont, a real fun day trip with children is Billings Farm Museum in Woodstock, a working dairy farm with ice cream making, horse wagon rides, etc,etc. Woodstock is quite a charming town with lots of dining and shopping choices.

Our favorite memory of Stowe is renting bike and riding along the recreation trail. That, and of course, Ben and Jerry's.

In Maine we love love love Acadia - so beautiful and lots to do. Its mandatory that you hike around Jordan Pond and then indulge in the homemade ice cream and popovers at the Jordan Pond House. And Jordan's Restaurant on Cottage St has THE best blueberry pancakes.

As much as we adore Acadia, when it came time to buy a vacation home, we opted for Kennebunkport because of its close proximity to our home. We are still exploring the area but Goose Rocks Beach is quickly becoming very beloved to us. Its a wide sandy beach where it is easy to swim (though it may be too cold for some) and kayak. Kennebunkport has lovely shops and restaurants too.

Storyland is a bit too young for your kids - really suited for 3-9yos. But boy is it fun for the little ones. And there are tons of things to do in the White Mountains.